Premature Infant Now Weighs 1 Pound

A premature baby girl who weighed 12 ounces at birth Aug. 3 has reached the 1-pound milestone but remains in critical condition, a hospital spokesman said Thursday.

Sheyanne Welch, who was delivered in her mother’s sixth month of pregnancy, has gained about 4 ounces, said Dennis Gaschen at Martin Luther Hospital.

The baby “has not tolerated feedings, so the weight she has gained has been through (intravenous feedings). For her to be gaining weight is a very good sign.”

However, the 10 1/2-inch-long infant remained in critical condition and dependent on a ventilator--in part because of her underdeveloped lungs but primarily to conserve energy, Gaschen said.

Sheyanne was delivered through an emergency Cesarean section after her mother, Robin Welch, 37, of Anaheim, developed life-threatening complications, including hypertension.

Welch’s pregnancy had lasted 24 weeks. A full-term pregnancy is about 36 to 40 weeks, Gaschen said.

She is clearly one of the smallest premature infants to survive, Gaschen said. He said reports indicate that the tiniest survivor was a 10-ounce baby born in England in the early 1980s.

Welch and her 43-year-old husband, Jim, “have been on an emotional roller coaster” after being told at first that the baby would not survive and then watching her fight back and cling to life, Gaschen said.